ChargePoint and FLO announced a roaming partnership that is designed to provide electric vehicle (EV) drivers across North America a seamless charging experience.

Here’s how it works: Much like roaming between cell phone networks, ChargePoint and FLO members can now access public chargers on both networks while travelling in the US and Canada, without the need to register for multiple accounts or incur additional fees.

ChargePoint, the leading EV charging network in the US and FLO, the EV charging leader in Canada, collectively have a significant presence across North America. The partnership not only simplifies EV driving for ChargePoint and FLO drivers, but demonstrates what is possible when industry leaders share a commitment to make it easier for drivers to charge wherever they go. This partnership is the first agreement of its kind in North America and creates a benchmark for future collaboration among players in the electric mobility sphere.

“For more than a decade ChargePoint has been committed to developing charging solutions that make it easy for EV drivers to charge, and this agreement builds on that and other solutions and services we’ve offered to help enable the mass adoption of EVs,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint. “We appreciate the opportunity to partner with FLO and invite other networks to participate in similar initiatives that support our philosophy of helping to get every driver behind the wheel of an EV. These experiences are good for EV drivers and simultaneously benefit station owners by increasing utilization of charging spots and opening up opportunities for businesses of all kinds to participate in the new fueling network.”

“As electric mobility continues to gain traction, it is essential that industry leaders work together to optimize the charging experience for the benefit of all EV drivers and stakeholders. FLO has always been at the forefront of innovation, and we take pride in leading the way to make EV charging more accessible and more convenient with this unique roaming service,” said Louis Tremblay, President and CEO of FLO. “This collaboration furthers our engagement to offer the best experience in the EV charging ecosystem, and will ultimately convince more people to choose electric mobility.”

Roaming between the networks is fully operational through the ChargePoint or FLO mobile apps. To start a session, drivers can simply use their existing network account to locate a charging station, start a session via the app and charge. The participating networks have currently agreed to levy no additional fees for using a visited network’s station and all transactions and taxes are handled on the backend according to the respective country’s tax laws, so drivers who roam will have a familiar experience to that of their primary network. At launch, more than 33,000 publicly available charging spots will be available on both networks allowing for more seamless travel throughout North America.

This roaming agreement is based on the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) protocol. OCPI is an open protocol that enables network operators to exchange key information needed to provide roaming services, such as charging station location, status and rate. OCPI also streamlines billing settlement, while ensuring the privacy of driver account information.